Two touches, two goals: Totti nets brace off the bench to save Roma
Francesco Totti is not done yet.
Down 2-1 against Torino on Wednesday, the longtime Roma captain emerged from the substitutes' bench and scored twice to reverse the deficit in front of jubilant supporters at the Stadio Olimpico.
The win, coupled with Inter's loss to Genoa and Udinese's defeat of Fiorentina, puts the Giallorossi seven points clear in third place with just four league matches left to play. A third straight Champions League berth, in other words, is within their grasp.
Goals from Andrea Belotti - Torino's in-form striker with 10 Serie A strikes in 2016 - and Josef Martinez appeared to sink Roma away from home.
But Luciano Spalletti put aside his recent rift with Totti and called upon the 39-year-old with four minutes left in the game. Totti smashed in the ensuing free-kick and converted a penalty moments later to swing the result completely.
The one-club man inspired a similar comeback on the weekend against Atalanta, coming on late to secure a 3-3 away draw. Spalletti tried to discredit Totti for his role in the turnaround, saying "it was the team that saved the result for us."
The two have been embroiled in a dispute over playing time, as Totti nears the end of his contract with Roma. It's uncertain whether president James Palotta is willing to keep the club icon for a further season, and even supporters have found themselves divided on the issue.
For now, Totti is using every minute as if it's his last.